Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to adjusting the focal distance of a camera in response to the range to a camera target.
Description of the Related Art
The advent of small, mobile multipurpose devices such as smartphones and tablet or pad devices has resulted in a need for better photography results from high-resolution, small form factor cameras for integration in the devices.
Some small form factor cameras for integration in the devices may incorporate focus mechanisms that may attempt to sense and react to distances from small form factor cameras to camera targets by adjusting location of the optical lens on the X and/or Y axis in an attempt to compensate for changes in the distances to the targets from small form factor cameras. Some small form factor cameras may incorporate an autofocus (AF) mechanism whereby the object focal distance can be adjusted to focus an object plane in front of the camera at an image plane to be captured by the image sensor. In some such autofocus mechanisms, the optical lens is moved as a single rigid body along the optical axis (referred to as the Z axis) of the camera to refocus the camera.
The inability to accurately determine the range from small form factor cameras for integration in the devices to camera targets has heretofore limited the effectiveness of small form factor cameras for integration in the devices.